Veteran theatre owner and producer Manoj Desai recently shared an anecdote recounting an instance where Amitabh Bachchan allegedly refused to buy an award and even predicted the winner before the official announcement. Desai's revelation sheds light on the purported practices within the film industry concerning award ceremonies.

According to Desai, he approached Amitabh Bachchan regarding an offer to secure a Best Actor award in exchange for bearing the expenses of the awards party. Bachchan, known as the "Shahenshah of Bollywood", reportedly declined, stating that he doesn't buy awards. Furthermore, Bachchan purportedly revealed that the award would go to Anil Kapoor, who had supposedly already organized a celebration for the win.

Desai claimed that Anil Kapoor indeed received the Best Actor award that year, allegedly for his performance in Mr. India. He further stated that Kapoor had agreed to cover the expenses for the Filmfare party, which supposedly influenced the decision to award him the trophy.

In a conversation with Vickey Lalwani on YouTube, Desai recalled sitting with Amitabh Bachchan during an award function when a film writer, Rauf Ahmed, approached him. Ahmed allegedly offered the Best Actor award to Bachchan in exchange for bearing the party's expenses.

Desai also mentioned that like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra also refused to buy awards. Dharmendra, according to Desai, believed he deserved awards for many of his previous films but was not given them.

Notably, this isn't the first time Desai has spoken about alleged dealings surrounding awards. In a prior interview, he mentioned that his film Khuda Gawah secured seven Filmfare awards, but he couldn't "purchase" the other two. He implied that Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi could have won awards for their performances in Khuda Gawah if certain pending bills at a hotel were taken care of.

Amitabh Bachchan has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards. He received his first Best Actor award in 1989 for Tezaab, the same year Amitabh Bachchan was nominated in the same category for his film Shahenshah. He has also been honored with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

These claims made by Manoj Desai are likely to stir discussions about the integrity and transparency of film awards in the Bollywood industry.